Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and New Westminster

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $2,536 in New Westminster, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index
123

Cost of Living Index in New Westminster
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New Westminster Living Index

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Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

New Westminster

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,536

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Playa del Carmen and in New Westminster

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Playa del Carmen and in New Westminster actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,204 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $2,536 in New Westminster, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $1,204
New Westminster $2,536

A couple spends around $2,082 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $3,772 in New Westminster, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,082
New Westminster $3,772

A family of three spends $2,959 per month in Playa del Carmen vs $5,008 in New Westminster, rent included.

Playa del Carmen $2,959
New Westminster $5,008

Playa del Carmen is about 53% cheaper than New Westminster, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Playa del Carmen sits 12% below the global median, while New Westminster is 86% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 MX$205

$19.53 CA$27.29

-44.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.37 MX$814

$49.69 CA$69.4

-12.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.78 MX$221

$10.26 CA$14.33

14.81%

Cappuccino

$3.81 MX$71.5

$3.55 CA$4.96

7.32%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$24.07

$1.88 CA$2.63

-31.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 MX$14.70

$1.65 CA$2.31

-52.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.17 MX$59.5

$6.14 CA$8.58

-48.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.93 MX$92.7

$5.56 CA$7.77

-11.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.41 MX$26.40

$1.79 CA$2.50

-21.23%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 MX$41.62

$2.37 CA$3.32

-6.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 MX$26.61

$3.49 CA$4.88

-59.31%

Eggs

$2.52 MX$47.36

$3.23 CA$4.51

-21.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.26 MX$136

$10.95 CA$15.30

-33.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 MX$144

$15.61 CA$21.81

-50.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.69 MX$238

$27.23 CA$38.05

-53.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 MX$52.3

$3.91 CA$5.46

-28.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 MX$25.68

$1.48 CA$2.07

-7.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 MX$47.89

$3.78 CA$5.29

-32.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 MX$39.86

$3.71 CA$5.18

-42.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.39

$2.46 CA$3.44

-21.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 MX$35.41

$2.20 CA$3.07

-14.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 MX$21.53

$2.29 CA$3.20

-49.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 MX$22.13

$1.85 CA$2.59

-36.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 MX$80.6

$15.50 CA$21.65

-72.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 MX$187

$10.88 CA$15.21

-8.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 MX$29.73

$2.04 CA$2.85

-22.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 MX$50.1

$2.81 CA$3.93

-4.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 MX$10.39

$2.46 CA$3.44

-77.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.62 MX$500

$91.0 CA$127

-70.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.97 MX$93.3

$2.17 CA$3.04

129.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 MX$62.5

$1.81 CA$2.52

83.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.36 MX$101

$22.72 CA$31.75

-76.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 MX$27.11

$1.32 CA$1.84

9.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$20.7K MX$388.0K

$24.4K CA$34.1K

-15.21%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.5K MX$440.5K

$20.9K CA$29.2K

12.12%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$84.8 MX$1,592

$141 CA$196

-39.69%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$23.41 MX$439

$43.47 CA$60.7

-46.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.66 MX$538

$65.0 CA$90.9

-55.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 MX$1,071

$33.49 CA$46.80

70.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.91 MX$543

$17.69 CA$24.72

63.43%

Cinema Ticket

$5.14 MX$96.5

$11.52 CA$16.09

-55.38%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$207 MX$3,878

$794 CA$1,109

-73.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,927 MX$73.7K

$8,694 CA$12.1K

-54.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.35 MX$814

$52.4 CA$73.2

-17.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.44 MX$778

$41.09 CA$57.4

0.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.2 MX$1,393

$80.0 CA$112

-7.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.3 MX$1,676

$98.8 CA$138

-9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$980 MX$18.4K

$1,624 CA$2,269

-39.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$381 MX$7,150

$1,306 CA$1,824

-70.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,708 MX$32.1K

$2,668 CA$3,729

-35.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,075 MX$20.2K

$2,310 CA$3,228

-53.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,943 MX$74.0K

$4,751 CA$6,639

-17.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,158 MX$115.6K

$4,037 CA$5,641

52.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$735 MX$13.8K

$3,171 CA$4,431

-76.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.45

4.72

142.58%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Last update for New Westminster: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6%

New Westminster

$1.3K 51.5% 243% $925

Groceries & Markets

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2%

New Westminster

$404 15.9% 58.6% $149

Eating Out

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8%

New Westminster

$286 11.3% 41.2% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4%

New Westminster

$249 9.8% 82% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3%

New Westminster

$122 4.8% 9.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6%

New Westminster

$57 2.2% 16% $11

Getting Around

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2%

New Westminster

$112 4.4% 122% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $980 in Playa del Carmen versus $1,624 in New Westminster. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New Westminster are about 4.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Playa del Carmen versus $50 in New Westminster. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $404 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🇨🇦 New Westminster

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

2 h behind Playa del Carmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,923

58,000

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.33 USD

100 MXN = 4.77 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 18.77 MXN (100 MXN = 5.33 USD). 1 EUR = 20.96 MXN (100 MXN = 4.77 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Playa del Carmen New Westminster 4,480 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Playa del Carmen
New Westminster

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Playa del Carmen vs New Westminster: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New Westminster costs about 111% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,806 per month in Playa del Carmen and $3,803 in New Westminster. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $980 there versus $1,624 in New Westminster.

Kindergarten costs $207 per month in Playa del Carmen and $794 in New Westminster. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in New Westminster, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in New Westminster at $2,536. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in New Westminster it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New Westminster makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.